Wild: Darcy Kuemper gets net nod as team returns from break

Wild goalie Darcy Kuemper sprays water on his face during a timeout in the second period against the Dallas Stars at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Saturday, January 18, 2014. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt)

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Darcy Kuemper is set to be the Wild's starting goalie for the 13th straight game when they take on the Oilers here Thursday night in their first game back from the Olympic break.

Kuemper, 23, became the team's starting goalie in January, but the decision to start him Thursday in the first game back wasn't an easy or obvious one. There was discussion between coaches about saving Kuemper for Friday night when the Wild play a big game in Vancouver against a team they're battling in the playoff race.

"But the bottom line is we just want to get off to a good start and we want to see if Kuemper can pick up where he left off," coach Mike Yeo said.

Niklas Backstrom, who has battled abdominal soreness all season, was the other option. Backstrom hasn't started since Jan. 11, but Yeo said he wasn't passed over Thursday because of injuries.

"I don't want to say that at all," Yeo said. "Basically what I would say is we're looking at this game (first). We argued back and forth as far as whether Backstrom should play or whether Kuemper should play or whether Kuemper is capable of playing back-to-back games."